The rosewood table next door was already empty, leaving only half-cleared cups and plates.
Zhou Yichi withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, then turned to a nearby waiter and asked gently, "Excuse me, do you know who the guests at the next table were?"
"I'm sorry, we don't really know."
The waiter, standing to the side, assumed the customer was concerned about where the dish had come from, and patiently explained, "The dishes come straight out from the kitchen. Please rest assured."
"Alright, thank you."
Zhou Yichi nodded, asked nothing more, and walked back to his seat thoughtfully.
Once seated again, he picked up the serving chopsticks, lifted a piece of Lotus Pastry, and gently placed it on the porcelain plate in front of Jiang Ningchu, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his mouth as always.
"Perhaps the next table ordered too much and passed it along to us. It's rare to come across something so fresh—have a taste?"
"…Mm."
Jiang Ningchu pushed down the messy speculations in her heart and quietly drew a breath.
She picked up her chopsticks, carefully lifted the Lotus Pastry, and brought it to her mouth.
The pastry was exquisitely made.
Shaped like slightly unfurled lotus petals, its layers of flaky crust were thin as cicada wings, melting almost the instant it touched the tongue.
The filling was delicate, lightly sweet lotus paste, blended with just the right touch of coconut. The sweetness was restrained and pure—far softer and more tender than the pre-made versions she'd had before, carrying the distinctive warmth and moisture of something fresh from the oven.
It was exactly the texture she liked.
"How is it?"
Zhou Yichi watched the subtle changes in her expression, anticipation in his voice.
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
He quickly shot Jiang Ningchu an apologetic look and turned aside to answer.
"Hello? Professor Zhuang… Yes, I'm out… Right."
Zhou Yichi's demeanor unconsciously became more formal, and he leaned slightly forward.
His gaze swept over Jiang Ningchu across the table, then quickly dropped. "…Okay, I understand. Send me the address, and I'll be there shortly."
After hanging up, he looked at the private room information that had popped up on his screen, a flicker of difficulty crossing his face.
"Xiaochu," he turned to Jiang Ningchu, softening his tone, "that's my advisor, Professor Zhuang. His project team happens to have a dinner gathering tonight, and he's asked me to come…"
He paused, gazing into Jiang Ningchu's eyes, lowering his voice a little. "They're all senior classmates I might work with in the industry someday. Will you… come with me?"
Professor Zhuang Mingyuan was a highly respected discipline leader at the medical school, and moreover, the guiding figure in Zhou Yichi's academic path.
He had taken a special liking to Zhou Yichi ever since he enrolled, cultivating him with great care—to Zhou Yichi, he was like a teacher and a father.
Jiang Ningchu's chewing slowed.
The delicate sweetness of the Lotus Pastry on her tongue seemed to fade in an instant.
Before leaving work, Lin Wei had sent her an urgent contract, requiring her review comments by tomorrow morning. She had planned to go home and work on it after dinner…
She looked up and met the gaze behind Zhou Yichi's lenses—full of expectation, even pleading.
The words of refusal stuck at her lips; she couldn't say them.
"…Alright."
Jiang Ningchu quickly calculated the time in her head.
Accompany him to make an appearance, get home a little later, stay up a bit—she should… still have enough time to finish it.
She put down her chopsticks, pulled out a napkin, and dabbed the corner of her mouth. "But I might leave early. I have a contract I need to finish reading tonight."
"No problem, of course!"
Zhou Yichi looked relieved, his expression immediately brightening.
He quickly picked up his jacket draped over the back of the nearby chair and waved over the server to pay the bill.
"We'll go say hello, sit for a bit, and then find a chance to leave. Work can be done at home too—I'll drive you back later. It'll be quick."
Jiang Ningchu said nothing more, only nodded silently.
At some point, a light rain had begun to fall.
The temperature had dropped.
The rain was so fine it was almost invisible, falling silently onto the glass, condensing into full, glistening droplets that slid slowly down.
Jiang Ningchu followed Zhou Yichi out of the teahouse, and the damp, cold air immediately wrapped around them.
She pulled her somewhat thin jacket tighter around herself and couldn't help shivering.
Yuehua Restaurant was much larger than Shen's Teahouse, brightly lit and elegantly decorated.
Just as Jiang Ningchu reached the private room's door, she spotted Wei Wei waiting outside.
Wei Wei was Zhou Yichi's roommate, also a PhD student in the medical school. The two were very close, and he was naturally familiar with Jiang Ningchu as well.
"Brother Chi! You finally made it! We've been waiting for you!"
Wei Wei pulled Zhou Yichi over, patted him on the shoulder, then turned to Jiang Ningchu with a bright, hearty smile. "Junior sister is here too! Come on in!"
Jiang Ningchu nodded at him in greeting and followed the two inside.
In the private room, several exquisitely arranged cold dishes already sat at the center of the round table. Six or seven people were seated around it, the atmosphere lively.
At the head seat was a vigorous, smiling middle-aged scholar—Professor Zhuang Mingyuan.
Beside him sat a young woman with delicate features and a gentle demeanor—his daughter, Zhuang Jingyi.
When she saw Zhou Yichi entering with Jiang Ningchu, Zhuang Jingyi's eyes immediately lit up, the corners of her lips curving into a radiant smile, and she rose and hurried over to greet them.
"Senior Yichi!" Her voice was clear and pleasant, tinged with delight, and she naturally opened her arms toward Zhou Yichi.
Zhou Yichi was clearly a little surprised. He smiled and gave her a light, perfunctory embrace. "Jingyi, when did you get back?"
He turned to Professor Zhuang, his tone full of pleasant surprise. "Professor, you kept it so well hidden—not even a whisper of news!"
"Ah!"
Professor Zhuang sighed, though his brows were relaxed. "Didn't you all know about Jingyi? I only found out myself this afternoon that she was back—I'm not much ahead of you!"
"Everyone! Our teacher's precious daughter is back—our good days are here!"
Wei Wei walked over to Professor Zhuang, picked up the teapot on the table, and refilled the professor's half-empty cup. "Teacher should be in a good mood these next few days, so anyone with assignments due, hurry up and turn them in!"
Amid the greetings, Zhuang Jingyi's gaze calmly landed on Jiang Ningchu at Zhou Yichi's side, lingering politely for a moment.
The curves of her brows and eyes remained soft as she turned her head toward Zhou Yichi. "Senior, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Do you really need Brother Chi for that?"
Wei Wei cut in with a laugh. "Jingyi, such a shame you weren't around—our Campus Heartthrob got snapped up by this junior sister just like that!"
Jiang Ningchu froze for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly.
Zhou Yichi put his arm around her, drawing her forward a bit, and smiled as he greeted the other senior students.
The seniors all nodded warmly at Jiang Ningchu in acknowledgment.
Jiang Ningchu also smiled, softly greeting everyone.
After they were seated, Wei Wei raised his teacup, shook his head with a sigh, and opened the conversation first. "Brother Chi, if you hadn't come, we couldn't have even started this meal."
"It's not that exaggerated!"
Zhuang Jingyi shot Wei Wei a playful glare, her eyes glittering with familiar, affectionate reproach. "Some people simply haven't mastered the material. Their retellings are full of holes—one embarrassing mistake after another."
Saying this, she leaned slightly toward Zhou Yichi. "Senior, I read that paper you published in the top-tier journal last month. The data was gorgeous. If you keep digging into this direction, don't you have a shot at an award this year?"
Before Zhou Yichi could answer, Professor Zhuang, seated at the head of the table, laughed heartily. "No doubt about it!"
He picked up his chopsticks and gestured for everyone to eat. "You all—if you had even half of Yichi's drive, my hair wouldn't be going white so fast!"
Zhou Yichi smiled modestly, his eyes remarkably bright behind his glasses.
He turned slightly and walked Zhuang Jingyi through the experimental process, step by step, with perfect clarity.
The conversation soon returned to territory they all knew well.
From the latest gene-editing technology, to a controversy over a paper in a top-tier journal, to the topics that might come up at the Bincheng symposium…
The pace was fast, the technical terms dense, occasionally peppered with English abbreviations.
Zhou Yichi was in his element.
He listened attentively, interjected at just the right moments, and offered views that were both insightful and humble, his eyes shining.
It was the glow Jiang Ningchu knew well—the one he had whenever he was immersed in his research.
Zhuang Jingyi was clearly the other center of this small gathering.
She not only had a solid academic foundation, but her conversation was polished and considerate—she always knew when to respond, when to ask a question, or when to add a pithy supplement to Zhou Yichi's points.
Though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, the two shared the easy rapport of kindred spirits.
Jiang Ningchu sat quietly beside Zhou Yichi, listening in silence to a discussion she had no part in, feeling the vibrant confidence and passion surging beneath his modest demeanor.
Jiang Ningchu was the classic "advice-following high achiever"—if a path proved to be an efficient shortcut, she would choose the easy, time-saving route without hesitation.
Zhou Yichi was the exact opposite: an "explorer-type high achiever," stubborn to the point of obsession.
If the logic didn't hold, if the experimental data wasn't perfect, he would rather go without sleep than accept a "close enough" result.
Jiang Ningchu suddenly remembered an evening six months ago.
Zhou Yichi was wrapping up an experiment that had taken ages, when a senior doctoral advisor passing by casually pointed out a possible deviation in one of his data-processing steps.
That night, he stayed up until dawn.
In the end, he not only corrected the data but unexpectedly discovered a far more interesting correlation because of it.
The next morning, Zhou Yichi's bloodshot eyes had been exceptionally bright—no different from how they looked right now.
Jiang Ningchu respected, and genuinely admired, this persistent, focused side of Zhou Yichi.
And she herself was just a quiet, out-of-place spectator below this stage.
During a lull in the conversation, the senior student beside her, out of politeness, turned to Jiang Ningchu and asked casually, "What field do you study, Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Ningchu froze slightly, considering her words.
Before she could answer, Zhou Yichi naturally turned his head and answered for her with a smile. "She's in law. She doesn't understand any of this stuff."
The conversation was pulled back on topic.
Jiang Ningchu's raised head lowered once more.
Perhaps the light from the crystal chandelier overhead was too bright—everything around her grew distant and unreal.
It was as if a glass dome had descended, enclosing her alone.
Isolated in another world—quiet, and utterly alone.
Dinner drew to a close amid ongoing professional discussion.
The food on Jiang Ningchu's plate remained nearly untouched, just as it had been when it was served.
She quietly watched Zhou Yichi laughing and chatting with his senior classmates and colleagues, an ease and radiance in his expression that he rarely showed around her.
For the first time, she felt with striking clarity that what separated her from him was perhaps far more than the mere arm's length of physical distance across this round table.
"Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom."
She murmured the words, rose, and walked away from the liveliness she could never quite blend into.
Standing before the bright mirror in the restroom, she turned on the cold water.
The icy stream slid over the back of her hand, bringing a brief moment of clarity.
Jiang Ningchu looked up at herself in the mirror—
Makeup neatly applied, clothes impeccably appropriate, yet her clear eyes brimmed with unconcealable weariness and a trace of bewilderment.
Without her noticing, three or four hours had slipped by; it was already past ten.
She took a deep breath, took out her phone, and sent Lin Wei a message: [I'll look at the contract when I get home tonight and send it to you after I've read it.]
After sending the message, she stood quietly by the window for a few seconds.
Outside, the city nightscape glittered as splendidly as ever.
But all the glamour and bustle lay behind a layer of frosted glass, without a hint of warmth.
When she returned to the private room, the discussion was still going strong, and only when Professor Zhuang began to yawn did everyone reluctantly rise to leave.
Zhou Yichi stood to bid farewell to Professor Zhuang and the senior classmates, while Zhuang Jingyi stood smiling at her father's side.
Wei Wei positioned himself at the door, his gaze sweeping over everyone as he efficiently made arrangements. "I drove here—I can give the senior classmates a ride. Professor, Jingyi, why don't you go with Brother Chi's car?"
With that, he turned to Zhou Yichi. "Brother Chi, it's on your way, right?"
Before Zhou Yichi could speak, Zhuang Jingyi stepped forward with a beaming smile. "Great! That way Senior can take a careful look at the data in my paper on the way. I keep feeling it isn't solid enough."
Hearing this, Professor Zhuang glanced at Jiang Ningchu behind Zhou Yichi and asked politely, "Yichi, if it's no trouble, could you give us a lift?"
"Of course." Zhou Yichi agreed at once. "Professor, you're too polite. It's only right."
Only after the words left his mouth did something suddenly occur to him, and he turned toward Jiang Ningchu, who had been standing quietly at his side and slightly behind.
The hillside villa and Nancheng University were not in the same direction.
Jiang Ningchu was not "on the way" for any of them.
Professor Zhuang headed toward the hotel lobby with the others, while Zhou Yichi took a half step back and rested his arm lightly around Jiang Ningchu's shoulders.
He lowered his head close to her ear and said in a hushed voice, "Xiaochu, sit in the room for a bit, or wait for me at the café in the lobby? I'll come back for you right after I drop off the Professor and Jingyi. It won't take long."
Jiang Ningchu lifted her eyes and looked at him calmly.
On his face, there was respect for the Professor, the lingering warmth of his exchanges with his fellow students, and that touch of apologetic-entitlement he showed her…
But not a hint of hesitation that would have meant actually asking what she wanted.
"No need," she said, her tone astonishingly indifferent, betraying not the slightest ripple. "I'll head back on my own."
At her words, the tension in Zhou Yichi's shoulders loosened for an instant.
The relief came too quickly—so quickly that he himself sensed something might be off about it.
He hurriedly softened his tone further, trying to make up for it: "How could I let you do that? It's still raining out there. Be good—stay here, or wait somewhere warm in the lobby. I'll drop them off and come right back for you. It'll be quick."
"Xiaochu…"
His hand came to rest on her shoulder, pressing down gently. "Professor Zhuang… he rarely asks for anything. You know how hard it is to turn him down. Be understanding, okay?"
Jiang Ningchu didn't respond. She simply, without a word, shifted half a step to the side.
The hand that had been on her shoulder suddenly found nothing, left hanging in the air between them, awkward and out of place.
She didn't look at him again—just lowered her eyes and gave a small nod.
Having gotten her permission, Zhou Yichi said nothing more and hurried off to catch up with Professor Zhuang and his daughter.
The transparent revolving door turned slowly, sweeping the damp, cold night wind into the lobby along with it.
Jiang Ningchu couldn't help but shiver.
"Hss… it's so cold…"
Zhuang Jingyi, who had been waiting nearby, withdrew her gaze from Jiang Ningchu and tilted her face up toward Zhou Yichi. "A truly excellent gentleman would do something about that at a moment like this, wouldn't he?"
Professor Zhuang let out an "ah" and made a show of unbuttoning his suit jacket.
Before he could move, Zhou Yichi had already taken off his own coat and handed it to Zhuang Jingyi.
"Thank you, senpai!"
Zhuang Jingyi, as if truly chilled to the bone, took it and draped it over herself at once, her right arm groping around for the sleeve.
Zhou Yichi naturally reached out and held the cuff open for her, making it easier to slip on.
A family of three waiting for their car nearby glanced over, and the little girl holding her mother's hand said sweetly, "Pretty lady, your boyfriend is so handsome and so thoughtful!"
Zhuang Jingyi adjusted the slightly oversized coat, bent forward with a smile, and patted the girl's head. "Right? Thank you for the compliment!"
The girl's parents exchanged a few polite words, waved with a smile, and left.
Zhou Yichi's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't contradict Zhuang Jingyi.
The hotel valet brought the car around. Zhou Yichi took the keys and jogged around to the driver's seat.
Jiang Ningchu stood rooted in place, motionless.
It was as if her blood had frozen.
She watched Zhuang Jingyi lower her head slightly, clutching Zhou Yichi's coat around herself, and slide sideways into the passenger seat.
Suddenly, she remembered an afternoon three years ago.
By the university track field, the sunlight just right.
She was sitting on the concrete bleachers, watching an interdepartmental friendly match, her mind elsewhere.
An untimely period had plunged her into utter embarrassment—and what saved her was a sports jacket dropped from behind.
From that moment on, there had been one more warm-hearted senpai in her world.
The night outside the hotel seemed to grow heavier.
The rain was coming down harder than when they'd arrived, and the evening wind drove the dampness straight at her, seeping into her very heart.
She stood beneath the empty covered walkway, her shadow stretched long and thin by the streetlamp.
The ride-hailing app showed a staggering number in the queue—an estimated wait of over an hour.
Jiang Ningchu pressed her lips together and, unwilling to give up, opened three apps at once, switching between them again and again.
More than ten minutes passed, and the queue numbers crept forward only a few places.
Rainwater dripped from the eaves, striking the marble steps and splashing up tiny blossoms of water.
The chill crept up from the soles of her feet, climbing along her calves. She pulled her already thin coat tighter around herself.
After hesitating for a long while, she finally opened her contacts, found Driver He's number, and dialed.
Before long, the familiar Maybach pulled up in front of the hotel portico.
The passenger window slowly rolled down.
…
The person sitting in the car was not Driver He.
It was Jiang Heng.
Jiang Ningchu stood where she was, her fingers tightening slightly around her phone.
Surprised? Not exactly.
Once bitten, twice shy—she was no longer shocked by things like this.
Still, Driver He had clearly agreed over the phone…
In the driver's seat, Jiang Heng rested one hand casually on the steering wheel.
He turned his face, his gaze passing through the damp threads of rain to land on her slightly stunned expression. "Waiting for me to get out and open the door for you?"
"…"
Jiang Ningchu froze for half a beat. Without time to wonder why it wasn't Driver He coming to pick her up, she walked straight forward, pulled open the passenger door, and got in.
The warmth inside the car mingled with a crisp scent of cedar, wrapping around her.
She lowered her eyes and called out softly, “Brother."
The seatbelt clicked into the buckle.
She looked up, and from the corner of her eye, she seemed to catch an extremely faint, fleeting curve at the corner of his lips.
…Hm?
Jiang Ningchu unconsciously curled her fingertips, and for some reason, remembered how on edge she'd been when getting into his car the day before.
"So the eldest daughter of the Jiang family got herself into such a state?"
Jiang Heng's voice pulled her back from her thoughts.
He leaned over, picked up a neatly folded cashmere blanket from the back seat, and tossed it into her lap.
Then the engine gave a low hum.
He gave a soft scoff, his cool tone laced with obvious disdain. "What, did you lose a debate with a client on your first day of your internship?"
"…"
The thin cashmere blanket was soft and warm, and the moment it settled over her legs, a thread of comforting heat spread through her.
Even the chill that the rainy night had soaked into her heart was dispelled a little.
"Hm?"
Just two or three hours ago, the two of them had brushed past each other at Shen's Teahouse…
Had Jiang Heng not seen her?
Or perhaps, Jiang Heng assumed she had come here midway for a work engagement?
Wait—debate?!
She had worn this outfit only once, on the day she won the debate competition.
Unwilling to recall the events at the dinner, Jiang Ningchu turned her face away and steered the conversation elsewhere. "You… how did you know I wore this outfit for the debate?"
Jiang Heng kept one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the hazy street scene being rhythmically swept clear by the wipers. He briefly glanced at her from the side.
A curve tugged at the corner of his lips, its emotion unreadable. "The daughter made it to the finals, so Mother demanded the whole family attend."
As if to emphasize something, he paused for half a second before adding, "No leave permitted."
?!
Jiang Ningchu had been looking down, texting Zhou Yichi to tell him she was leaving first.
At Jiang Heng's teasing, she whipped her head around.
The heaviness and disappointment that had piled up in her chest all evening were, in that instant, washed away by the unexpected surprise.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Back then, the debate had been fiercely contested. Her school team had fought their way into the finals, and she had excitedly shared the good news with Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing had been so proud that she dragged Jiang Zhenting to the venue in person to cheer her on.
Jiang Heng… had gone too?!
She carefully mulled over Jiang Heng's words.
The words "Mother" coming from his mouth somehow carried an indescribable undertone.
She had always felt that in Jiang Heng's eyes, she was nothing but an uninvited intruder who had stolen away his mother's attention and affection.
"Auntie she…"
Jiang Ningchu's throat felt a little dry, but she forced herself to ask, "So, you… you really went that day?"
"Mm."
Jiang Heng's gaze swept over the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if annoyed by her distraction. "Something came up afterward, so I left early."
"No wonder…"
Jiang Ningchu carefully recalled the events of that day and was certain she hadn't seen him at the competition venue.
She hadn't expected him to go.
Which meant that, as "siblings" in name only, their paths crossed more often than she'd imagined.
"Achoo—"
The chill on her body battled the warm air inside the car, and the alternating hot and cold made her nose tingle.
She had wanted to ask more, but before the words could leave her mouth, a sneeze interrupted her.
"…Sorry."
She hurriedly pulled out a tissue to cover her mouth and nose.
Great, her nose was already stuffed up.
"Drink this."
Jiang Heng tilted his chin toward the cup holder in the center console, adding offhandedly, "Uncle He bought it."
"…"
Jiang Ningchu looked over—it was her favorite taro bubble milk tea.
Back when Uncle He used to pick her up from school, he'd often keep one ready in the car, too.
The matter-of-fact tone Jiang Heng used…
It was as if Uncle He had bought it, he'd forgotten, and he'd only just remembered to remind her.
She didn't think too deeply into it and simply reached out to cradle the milk tea in her hands to warm them. "Where's Uncle He?"
Jiang Heng glanced at the blanket draped over her lap and casually turned up the car's temperature.
"Off work."
"…"
Another unexpected answer.
Jiang Ningchu was momentarily speechless.
The driver was off work, so… Young Master Jiang was playing chauffeur and coming to pick her up personally?
"Achoo—"
She couldn't hold it in and sneezed again.
Rubbing her tingling nose, she leaned forward to grab the straw beside the cup.
Her gaze was suddenly drawn to the bag of candy next to the straws—
A purple wrapper printed with a cute little devil pattern, strikingly conspicuous in the dim car.
"This candy…"
Jiang Ningchu froze, feeling dazed. "It looks so familiar."
"Just familiar?"
Jiang Heng drove on steadily, letting out a cold laugh. "Funny how cleanly you forget the bad things you've done."
Jiang Ningchu was completely stunned.
Memories washed over her like a rising tide.
She hadn't forgotten.
It was just that later, when he'd despised her so much…
She hadn't dared to remember.